<b><u>Story</u>:</b>
In the tradition of “Miracle,” Goal! The Dream Begins is an inspiring underdog story of a young
immigrant in Los Angeles, Santiago, who dreams of playing professional soccer. His stern father
thinks Santiago should give up his dream and make his way in the real world, but Santiago travels
to England, where he tries out for one of the world’s top professional soccer teams. Santiago must
prove that he has the determination, skill and passion for the game to triumph against all odds.

I'm not one for sport films. Regardless of the sport or the nominal "true-life" story most seem to need as a justification for their existence, the story often the same, with the same morals and message. Work hard, and the combination of your talents and determination will let you achieve your dream.

Of the sporting film genre, one of it's more popular formulas is the "fish out of water" tale. Goal! takes this concept and tackles it from two directions. First our hero, Santiago Munez (Kuno Becker), comes from a poor background. Secondly, he finds he has to relocate to Britain to pursue his dream.

Goal! the first in a trilogy of films, doesn't deviate from what most people would expect based on this brief summary. It wouldn't be quite fair to label the film as a cliché, but it certainly knows which emotional peaks to hit, and when to hit them. At times it almost feels like an episode of Highway to Heaven, the emotional journey was so clearly plotted for maximum impact. For every triumph Santiago achieves, there seems to be a corresponding tragedy in store. Clearly the writers of Goal! are big believers in karma.

But there are a number of points which raise this above the average sports story.

Firstly, the film is not based on a "true story", which obviously gives the writers a broader canvas to write their story on. It wouldn't be fair to call this first film an epic, but the action begins in Mexico and Los Angeles before settling in Newcastle, England – and this film certainly sets up a wider global setting for the next films.

Secondly, this also gives the film an advantage when it comes to characterisation. Here we get domestic family drama mixed with sporting drama. Both are well conceived and written, if a little calculated when it comes to pulling the emotional strings. Most people are just that… people. There's few if any "villains", although not everyone Santiago meets have his best interests at heart. I particularly enjoyed seeing Sean Pertwee play a sleazy sports agent (who, although he doesn't do much this film, I think will almost certainly be back to cause problems in the next film).

Thirdly, unprecedented (it says here, on the box) access was given to the filmmakers to real football matches, to real stadiums and to all of Newcastle United's employees and locations. The result is a film which (if you're that way inclined) really shows the beauty of the game. Even if, like me, you're not that enthused by the sport as such, you can't help but admire some of the direction during the match sequences.

Fourthly, it has Anna Friel in it, frequently dressed in a nurse's uniform. And a proper British nurse's uniform at that. None of your American coveralls like on E.R. here, thank you very much. I'm talking white short skirts and everything.

Finally, when all is said and done, it's a film that's full of joy. Every frame is ultimately fashioned with a love of the game. Not every scene appears to be about football, but underneath it all, it is. Santiago's love of the game is what drives him, and the supporting cast's love of the game is what drives them, even if in some cases, they see the game as nothing more than a stepping stone to money and/or fame. Even Roz (Anna Frail) grows to love the game as she grows to love Santiago.

Add to this a wonderful British music soundtrack featuring Oasis and The Happy Mondays as well as other iconic British bands. A film which doesn't shy away from the Geordie accent or traditions, and a hell of a lot of "bullshit" and "wankers" and implied sexual incidents in the script, and you have a sports film which appears more "real" and "true" than most other films actually based on "true stories".

In fact the only disappointment is that the heavily promoted appearance of David Beckham doesn't actually happen. It appears they managed to hire on of Madam Toussaud's waxworks though and rig it up to a simple animatronic device with a squeaky voice and use that instead. Being as the second film sees Santiago transfer to Real Madrid, let's hope Beckham is available then.

The UK DVD comes surprisingly packed, considering the theatrical release didn't perform particularly well over here, taking less than £2m. Pride of place has to be the full length audio commentary, as well as a number of featurettes covering everything from a behind the scenes features to promos for the upcoming 2006 World Cup. A trailer for Goal! II is included, but sadly not for the first film.

If you love football, then this you have to see this film. It's as simple as that. Even those who don't like the sport, or even any sport in general, will find much to like and enjoy. I can guarantee that this film will touch each and everyone who sees it, even if some of the emotional arcs have been carefully and mechanically crafted.

Well that sure moved quickly from passing comment to full-blown review. Thanks for your remarks, Guv'na! My interest in this had been dwindling, but you've now put it at a peak.

Though, it really seems to be an oddity. How, for instance, did Buena Vista decide to sign-on to a trilogy of soccer films, when none (as far as I can think) have ever performed well. A look at Box Office Mojo reveals that <i>Kicking and Screaming</i> (the underperforming Will Ferrell comedy) is handily the top-grossing entry to the genre, while <i>She's the Man</i> (didn't realize it had soccer in it) and <i>Bend it Like Beckham</i> are neck-and-neck for spot #2 - the Amanda Bynes one recently passing the Keira Knightley one. Then, compound the limited appeal of the game with the fact that you claim it didn't even perform well in the UK, where soccer (or "football", to be fair) is a big deal. The <i>Narnia</i> sequels were in doubt, yet these go forth? Who is counting their lucky stars? Admittedly, I'm sure these cost less, but for grossing $3.2 M here thus far and only a bit more over there, after marketing and production costs, how much of a profit is being turned.

Then, there is perhaps the greatest mystery of all: why did Disney get this re-edited for a PG rating here? As far as I can tell, they're not marketing it as a family film. And supposedly PG-13 can qualify as family fare nowadays. Besides, isn't PG-13 the desired rating and one which just about every film gets? It's a very curious decision.

Anyway, I'm sure not many others (if anyone) will have anything to say about this, but I'm thankful for the discourse. It will certainly lay a certain groundwork for my eventual review when it comes to DVD in the fall. Speaking of which, I will somehow not be surprised if many of those DVD extras don't find their way over here. I'd usually assume BVHE there and here were on the same page, but as the Brit-friendly <i>Hitchhiker's</i> proves, that is not always the case!

_________________"Fifteen years from now, when people are talking about 3-D, they will talk about the business before 'Monsters vs. Aliens' and the business after 'Monsters vs. Aliens.' It's the line in the sand." - Greg Foster, IMAX chairman and president

I think, worldwide, the film will turn in a decent profit. After all, Soccer is a much more popular sport worldwide than Basketball, American Football, Baseball or Ice Hockey.

That said, given the importance of the game over here, as well as the fact the bulk of the action is set in a real-life English club I can't really see why it didn't do better on its UK theatrical release. Perhaps it was marketed wrong and people thought it was just a film about Newcastle United, and as such didn't appeal so much to supporters of other teams? The DVD, in a typical Buena Vista move, doesn't contain the original theatrical trailer, so I can't confirm or deny this speculation.

However, given the second film in the trilogy moves the focus from Newcastle United to Real Madrid, I can see the appeal of the film widening, especially in other European countries. I guess the last film in the trilogy will deal with the World Cup, which should have Santiago playing for the USA (or probably not, being as he was an illegal immigrant, in which case it will be Mexico). A film set in and around the World Cup should gain even more interest.

What you may find interesting about the R2 disc is that it appears to be a catch-all disc for the whole of Europe. Soundtracks are 5.1 English, French, Italian and Spanish (as well as 2.0 Audio Descriptive English) and the subtitles are (deep breath) English, English for the hearing impaired, French, Italian, Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Icelandic, Portuguese, Dutch, Greek, Bulgarian and Arabic.

Considering Buena Vista have authored one disc for the whole of Europe, I'm pretty sure they are experiencing a healthy cashflow in an inwards direction. It's been out since the beginning of March, but is still knocking about in the bottom of most stores' sales charts (and still at full price). As a DVD, it's had stronger legs than 'bigger' movies from Buena Vista like Flight Plan, Cinderella Man, and probably Lady and the Tramp and Bambi II!

Cool review, Netty! Like you, I don't normally go for sports movies and I've ever even heard of <i>Goal!</i>, let alone its BV distribution or planned trilogy installments (how odd for a sports film! ... <i>Mighty Ducks</i> notwithstanding). Still, I can be won over by them here and there and from your review, it sounds like this could be one of those, even if I find soccer movies less interesting than the rest of the lot (<i>The Big Green</i> notwithstanding). I also didn't realize that Oasis was an iconic British band. Good work- thanks for sharing your analysis with us.

I've managed to catch this in installments as I went through various DVD and hi-fi shops the other night (everyone seemed to be playing it). I guess a great deal of people connect to sports movies, and they are one genre that almost everyone can get into.

I am also not a lover of sports, let alone watching it, but for some reason, the structure of a sports film appeals to me. They are some of the best examples of Hitchcock's idea of "pure cinema" - i.e. 'life with the boring bits cut out'. There is something irresistable about a well-made sports film, as it does hit all the right emotional cues. While I've never actively gone out and sought a sports film, whenever I sit down to watch one, I'm always captivated.

I've heard good things about Goal!, and now I've heard another one. Guess I might add it to the basket on my next trip to the video store.

I saw Goal: The Dream Begins during it's brief one week run at my local cineplex in Massachusetts. The film received absolutely no publicity, so I watched on opening night with only a handful of other customers. I absolutely loved this movie, and I'm anxious to purchase the dvd when it's released here in a couple months. Amazon.com says it will be a re-edited PG-13 version, so I'm curious to discover what will be changed as I the movie worked perfectly for me as it was.

I loved Goal because it had heart and it was believable. I'm not a soccer fan or a sports fan really. I watch figure skating, and that's about it, but somehow Goal captured my attention and spoke to me. Although Goal uses soccer as subject, it's truly a movie about finding your place even when at times you feel like you don't belong, following your heart when you know it's right, and dealing with adversity along the way to your dream.

I absolutely loved this movie, and I'm anxious to purchase the dvd when it's released here in a couple months. Amazon.com says it will be a re-edited PG-13 version, so I'm curious to discover what will be changed as I the movie worked perfectly for me as it was.

Not exactly re-edited, since it was originally a PG-13 film upon its 2005 release in the UK. It was re-edited for a PG rating in the US (for reasons that baffle me, as I mentioned earlier in this thread, since it wasn't promoted as a family-friendly release). Now, the DVD will hold the original PG-13-rated cut, which makes sense, though it probably means we'll never see the PG-cut again.

I, too, saw this film in a theater the only week that it played, and was mystified by its genuine heart, and story-telling. I am definitely not a soccer player or fan, but this movie kept me going the whole time.

It is a genuine feel-good movie that leaves you wanting more when the credits roll. I will add this one to the collection the day it is released.

Thanks for the great revue Netty, it really brought back some memories and I can't wait to watch this again at home.

_________________The only way to watch movies - Original Aspect Ratio!!!!
I LOVE my Blu-Ray Disc Player!

I know everyone is awaiting Goal! 2: Living the Dream with more anticipation than fillers like Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and The Santa Clause 3, so it is with much excitement I present this snippit of Goal! 2 news to the thousands upon thousands who read this thread daily.

Quote:

"Goal! 2 is a classic rise-and-fall tale, the flight of Icarus," explains writer/producer Neil Jeffries with an admirably straight face. "Santiago flies too close to the sun and comes tumbling down..."

The sequel sees Santiago battling the booze, depression and fallen women after a terrible road accident.

"Goal! 2 is the middle part of the trilogy so it's the dark one," proclaims Jeffries earnestly. "In Goal! 3, Santiago will go to the World Cup. We're going to Germany to shoot all the action."

Bumping with a quick review of Goal 2: Living the Dream, which I watched on DVD this afternoon.

Well, this really is a strange film. It would appear when watching the film that it does everything wrong that the first film did right. The new additions seem wrong. The premise seems wrong. Even the direction seems wrong. I'm not fan of football or any other sport, but the 1st film's footballing moments captivated me all the same. Not so for Goal II.

Even when I was more than half-way through the film I was ready to give it a disappointing thumbs down. The only good bits about it, were those which were imported from the first film - notably the cast that carried on.

What could be so wrong? you ask. Well, everything (or so I thought). It appears after the typical rag to riches storyline of the first film, the filmmakers wanted this film to be darker and grittier. The "Empire Strikes Back" of football film trilogies if you like.

So Santiago becomes an arrogant jerk, his personality warped by the temptations of fame and money. Roz (his girlfriend) is quickly sidelined, and removed. Glen, Santiago's agent - the man who spotted his talent in the first place - is sacked. All of these could be put down as Santiago's fault, but still more misfortune is placed upon him - he breaks his ankle, leaving him unable to play. He is told by a young kid that the pair are half-brothers. The paparazzi are quick to latch onto and twist events around him. It really is a bleak film.

But then. But then, gosh darn it, the filmmakers turn it around. Santiago realises what a jerk he's become. He takes in co-footballer and friend Gavin again who's gotten himself into financial difficulties. There's a touching reunion with his mother (but tinged in darkness, there's quite a depressing reason she left the family). We actually care about the game again, and want him, and his team to win.

Lord help me, but by the end, I was silently crying. In the first film we see him raise up from the real gutter (if you pardon the phrase). In the second film we see him lower himself to an emotional gutter, but still manage to climb back up into the light. Given the familiar aspects of the original Goal, this is much more satisfying to view (even if it is a little uncomfortable at times).

I'll have to see the first film again, but despite my initial hatred for this film, it probably is a sequel that's better than the original. If not, it's just as good, but in a different way.

My only real reservation is it seems to suffer from most trilogy films these days. It ends abruptly on a "To be continued..." cliffhanger, without us getting a proper sense of closure. The first film had such a sense of closure, but managed to present a sequel just as good as the first that followed smoothly on. So Santiago's relationship with Roz is left hanging, to be picked up in the final film.

Well, this is a turn up for the books. I got Goal III: Taking on the World this week on DVD. I've just noticed that Disney/Buena Vista seems to have dropped the series for the final film - this is a Metrodome release.

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